There are a series of rows of stationary vanes and rotating blades in a turbine section of a gas turbine engine. The blades are coupled to a rotor disc assembly.
Hot working gases travel to the rows of blades. As the working gases expand through the turbine, the working gases cause the blades and, hence, the rotor disc assembly to rotate.
One type of gas turbine blade comprises a tip shroud coupled to an airfoil upper end. The tip shroud interlocks with adjacent blade tip shrouds at contact surfaces so as to reduce vibration and prevent the hot gases from passing over the airfoil upper end of each blade. During start-up and shut-down cycles of the gas turbine engine, the contact surfaces are displaced, and become worn and damaged. In the past, to repair the worn, displaced and damaged tip shroud contact surfaces, filler material was welded to the contact surfaces, heat treated and then machined. The heat treatment operation sometimes resulted in cracks being formed at least in a base or original portion of the tip shroud.